Improved railway-oar coupling



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J. ELBERTSON.

. RAILWAYDAR COUPLING.

Patented July 6,1869.

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J. ELBERTSON. RAILWAY OAR COUPLING. I

Y 1 92,293. Patented July 6, 1869.

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JOHN ELBERTSON, OF KIRKSVILLE, MISSOURI.

Letters Patent a. 92,293,. dated July 6, 1869.

To all whogqjt may concern:

Be iii-known that I,Jom-' Ennnn'rson, of Kirksvilla, in thecouuty of Adair, and State of Missouri, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Oar-Couplers; and I do .herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction and operation of the same, reference being hadto the annexed drawings making a part of this specification, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon.

Figure 1-, of the drawings, is a view of the end of a railway passenger-car with my coupling attached,

Figure 2 is a side view of a portion'of a passengercar with my coupling attached.

Figure 3 is a view of the end of a freight-car with myvcoupling attached.

Figure 4 is a side view of a portion of a freight-car with my coupling attached.

Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of 1a 1000- motive carriage with my coupling-device therefor.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of apassienger-onr with my coupling attached.

Figure 7 is a plan view'of fig. 5 as shown from the bottom.

Figure 8 is a bottom plan view of my coupling.

My invention relates to means for connecting and disconnecting railway-cars; and

It consists, mainly, in. the construction and'arrange-' vment of certain improvements to my device, patented November 10, 1868, intended to increase the useful ness, and efficiency thereof.

The letter A, of the drawings, represents the bumper of a car, and I The letter B, an elbow-lever, having a li) oizofi'set,

2 that'works against the bottom of said umper, to

raise or lower the same atwill.

The letter 0 represents a rod or bar, arranged iminediatcl y above the bumper, as shown. It has a hook,

c,*at its front end, that works inside the bumper, to hold the liuk, hereinafter mentioned; and it has also a-pin, 11, that works up and down through said bumper, to release said'link from the hook a, as also hereinalter mentioned. Y The letter Dislan elbow-lever, with a lip or ofiset, i by means-of which the pin (I, above mentioned, is actuated. i i v The letter E represents a link, thatserves "as the immediate means of connection between the cars, by being hooked to the hook a, on the end of bar 0.

The letters a represent pins, respectively, attached to the lever 1.), as shown, and which serve as a part of the means of uncoupling the cars, as stated hereafter. The letters G are sliding bars, constructed in the form shown, having, respectively, cross-headsh and slotted lips c, which lips work in conjunction with the pins-n, above described.

For thepnrpose of preventing said sliding has; from working, when desirable so to prevent them, I make notches or openings in .bars G, ate-the points s, and insert pins therein.

I Said pins are passed through the frame of the platform,- and through the notches or openings in said bar, and are removable at will. 1

The letter n represents a spring, arranged immediately above the bar 0, and which serves as a. means for pressing the same downward, and keeping it in place.

It will readily bev seen, that by the devices above described, the cars may be uncoupled by actuatingthe lever D, or either of the sliding bars G.

The lever B.serves as an aid in the process of coupling.

\Vhenever it is found desirable, as when, for instance, there is danger of the cars being thrown from the track,

I place the-sliding barsG in gear, by. removing the pins by which theyare held at the points, and placing the some on the opposites'ideof the bars. The result'is, that if the cars are thrown fromthe track, either to the right or left, any two of the bars G, by contact, will press the lever D backward, and thereby release the'link from the hook to which itis connected.

\Vhe'ther the bars G are in or .out of gear, uncoupling may-be infected by means of the lever D.

The letters 1: represent springs, attached,jrespectively,'to the sides of the bumper, to aid in keeping the same inplace.

I usually make that part of the platform immediately abo've'the bumper, ronndand full, as shown on fig. 8,

to serve as a shield in preventing the bars Gfrom contact, exceptin cases when the cars assume an angular position to each other, as is usual when they are thrown from thetrack. I The letter 1 represents a ratchet-plate, airanged upon the platform of the car, and The letter I; a dog, arranged upon lever B, operating with 'said ratchet-plate, to hold said lever, and,

thereby the bumper, in the position desired. i

' The above described .devices are attached to each end-of all the cars of a passenger-train. j

Upon each end of freight-cars, I arrange the same devices, except that I depress the handles of levers B and D, as'shown on fig'. 4, and attach to the ends thereof, respectively, vertical rods, marked a and c, which extend above the top of the car.

The rod (1. isattached to the lever B, and the rod 6 to lever D. 1

The rod a has a ratchet-hezul, operating in conjunction with a dog, 11-, as shown, to aid in adjusting the bumper. 1

The cars may be uncoupled by pressing downward upon the top of rod 0. V

For coupling the locomotive to a car, I construct the devices .shown on figs. 5 and 'i',in which the letter 0 represents the stapling-bar, hinged to the co'wcatcher, and letter f, a curved arm, pivoted to bar a at itsfront end, and to arm 9 at its rear, as shown.

The letter h represents-a shait, arranged in suitable bearings upon the bottom of the locomotive-frame, and

having an arm, 9, extending downward, to which the of a bar, 0, at will.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The bar 0, with its pin d and hook c, as described, when constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. The sliding bars G, with their lips and pins, as described, in combination with the-lever D, and its pins, when the saline are constructed and arranged to operate substantially as set forth.

3. In combination with the levers B and D, the vertical rods (0' and d and the dog d, when the same are constructed and arranged to operate substantially as and for the purposes described.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name, in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN ELBERTSON.

Witnesses: I

JAMES P. GREVES, Dnmns D. KANE. 

